Employers provide their interpretation of the meaning of communication skills in this qualitative study of 22 managers. Employers understand written communication to be types of documents, a way to write, and a mode of communication. Oral communication skills mean a style of interacting, presenting, and conducting meetings. Visual communication skills were understood to be data visualization or nonverbal communication. Electronic communication was interpreted as email. The findings contribute to closing-the-gap research by highlighting areas where meaning converges for employers and instructors. Faculty members in communication disciplines can incorporate these findings into their course design and learning outcome discussions.
Retirement is an expected phase of life that is made meaningful through social discourses such as master narratives. This study identified and explored a master narrative of retirement. Eighty-four individuals were interviewed representing four work experience phases. A thematic analysis revealed a master narrative of retirement that shaped expectations for retirement. Participants consistently narrated retirement as the ultimate marker of individual success and freedom. Two fractures appeared in this master narrative: the freedom/routine fracture and the individual responsibility/universal expectations fracture. These fractures created tension within the master narrative of retirement. This study has implications for social class as well as implications for the ways in which master narratives are interwoven into the cultural fabric of society.
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that higher education institutions should change their Faculty Codes of Conduct to reflect workplace bullying as a form of harassment that is unacceptable. This paper provides a definition for workplace bullying; secondly, it offers an analysis of how the First Amendment is not an absolute, especially in the workplace; thirdly, it examines the scant legislative and judicial attention that is given to this issue; and finally, an argument is made to show how colleges and universities are not adequately addressing workplace bullying through clear policies and procedures that render due process. Results of a thematic analysis of 276 Faculty Codes of Conduct from a variety of universities and colleges across the United States revealed two primary themes: The Harassment Hang-up and Employee Engagement. Based on this analysis, higher education institutions should change their Faculty Codes of Conduct so bullying is defined as a distinctive form of harassment that is not tolerated, institutions provide faculty and staff clear communications regarding how to define bullying, and instructions are given for what a person can do as a bystander or target.
Thematic analysis of interviews with 22 managers highlight their perspectives on exemplary and unacceptable workplace communication skills. Exemplary skills were perceived to be relatability, documentation, and audience awareness/adaptation, while unacceptable skills were verbal aggression, deception, and defensive communication behaviors. The findings contribute to closing-the-gap research by identifying highly notable skills—both positive and negative—on typical lists of business and professional communication skills. This study also enriches anticipatory socialization scholarship by its application to vocational preparation. Business and professional communication instructors can use the findings here when deciding what topics to emphasize in a course.
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